Ireland to introduce stricter standards for marketing mobile phones

New guidelines relating to the advertising of mobile phone and broadband services by the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) will come into effect on 1 September.

The guidelines will complement the existing ASAI Coderequiring certain marketing terms used by telecommunications operators to convey clear meanings that are not misleading to consumers.

The new guidelines, which were announced on Friday, were developed as an action resulting from the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce, which is chaired by Sean Canney

DUBLIN, Ireland - New guidelines relating to the advertising of mobile phone and broadband services by the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) will come into effect on 1 September.

The guidelines will complement the existing ASAI Code requiring certain marketing terms used by telecommunications operators to convey clear meanings that are not misleading to consumers.

The new guidelines, which were announced on Friday, were developed as an action resulting from the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce, which is chaired by Sean Canney, the Minister of State for Community Development, Natural Resources and Digital Development. The purpose of the Taskforce is to identify measures that could deliver significant improvements in access to high-quality mobile and broadband services throughout Ireland.

The guidelines outline the general legal requirements that telecom operators must follow when using marketing terms for mobile phone and broadband services, and also provides guidance for telcos concerning the use of the following specific marketing terms to describe telecommunications in the Irish market:

Coverage and Availability

Speed claims

Fibre

The guidelines also include advice on information resources for consumers, substantiation and terms and conditions / general claims.

I welcome the publication of the guidelines by the ASAI and acknowledge the work that has been undertaken in bringing a key 2019 deliverable to fruition. One of the aims of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce is to improve consumers' knowledge of the different types of telecommunications services on offer. With the publication of these guidelines, the ASAI has gone a long way to ensuring that consumers will have greater clarity over what they can realistically expect to receive from their broadband or mobile phone package.